HL News and Views March 2013

February 25, 2013

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The Cognitive Cure

Antidepressants are not a cure-all for every person suffering from a mood disorder. And now a new study out of Britain suggests that when prescription medications fail to alleviate a patient’s symptoms, intensive cognitive therapy may prove extremely beneficial.Participating in 12 to 18 cognitive therapy sessions — a method of therapy where patients take responsibility for their emotions and focus on changing their attitude — more than doubled the diminishment of depressive symptoms than patients taking antidepressants alone, researchers note.The study, which was recently reported in the British medical journal The Lancet, looked at a large group of depressed adults to see how they responded to a variety of treatment options.Cognitive therapy is also different from traditional talk therapy, where patients often reflect how they are feeling about certain experiences and situations. People receiving cognitive therapy were also more likely not to have their depressive symptoms return, noted the researchers, who suggested this may be an excellent option for depressed individuals and clinicians seeking long-term results for their patients.source:tinyurl.com/march13depressed

6of9

The Cognitive Cure

Antidepressants are not a cure-all for every person suffering from a mood disorder. And now a new study out of Britain suggests that when prescription medications fail to alleviate a patient’s symptoms, intensive cognitive therapy may prove extremely beneficial.Participating in 12 to 18 cognitive therapy sessions — a method of therapy where patients take responsibility for their emotions and focus on changing their attitude — more than doubled the diminishment of depressive symptoms than patients taking antidepressants alone, researchers note.The study, which was recently reported in the British medical journal The Lancet, looked at a large group of depressed adults to see how they responded to a variety of treatment options.Cognitive therapy is also different from traditional talk therapy, where patients often reflect how they are feeling about certain experiences and situations. People receiving cognitive therapy were also more likely not to have their depressive symptoms return, noted the researchers, who suggested this may be an excellent option for depressed individuals and clinicians seeking long-term results for their patients.source:tinyurl.com/march13depressed